My memory of the creation of Safetipin was that it crystallised serendipitously in the liminal space
between thoughts. DFID India had a strong focus on preventing VAWG and urban development, and
Kalpana was keen to expand the ‘analogue’ or physical urban safety audits. My colleague Mamta Kohli
and I were interested, but our flexible funds were for innovation and ‘India-global’ (Indian ideas with global
potential impact). We started talking about digital apps, Kalpana mentioned Ashish’s work in Education
tech, and from this a seed grant for Safetipin was born. I learnt such a lot – how people use Apps (or
don’t), unexpected opportunities (the partnership with Uber) and how to get free adverts in national
papers… it was really exhilarating, and it is awe inspiring how far Safetipin has come – from those early
‘how about if...’ conversations.
Peter Evans, Former Senior Governance Adviser, DFID India